In a previous post, I explained my dilemma in dealing with my 83 300SD, who's Trans, died. I spent awful day pulling a Trans from an 84 300D with unknown history. I am not a tightwad, my cash being what it is at this moment I have limited options.

I had 2 cars at this yard to pull from.

An 81 300TD and an 84 300D. I pulled the pans on each. The 300D had a darker brownish fluid but did not smell burnt, there were no chips or pieces in the pan that I could see and when pouring some fluid in sunlight, didn't see metal particulates. It smelled almost like the rear end oil I just drained on the Wagon we have. It had a medium impact in the right rear (trunk needed to be tied shut) and the CV boots were torn with the starboard one having come apart. There was a receipt from 2000 for a Tran’s service with 212,000 on the clock.

The 81 300TD had bright Red fluid but there were some hard metal pieces larger than BB. Body seemed ok and rear end was together.

So my prayer is that the one I pulled was lacking a proper fluid change but is solid.

Is there any way for me to check it out before installing it and if not... is there a shortcut short of everything being hooked up?

Sorry for the long winded post....I am spent and tired. Just don't think I could handle going through the install process only to find out it is dead. I can deal with the time spent so far. (Only with a minor bout of depression)

Thanks
Don

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1980 300TD-T (82 Turbo and Trans) 159,000 Miles "Jackie-O"
1983 300SD 272,000 Miles "Aristotle"
1987 Jeep Wagoneer Limited - keeps the MB's off the ice and out of the snow
1994 BMW 530it

I believe that 84 tranny is the same as your 83 internally. I believe the 81 has a different valve body etc. The 81 may work but I would personally grab the 84 tranny. I love the way they shift.

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1981 300D 147k
1998 VW Jetta Tdi 320k
2001 Dodge Ram 2500 141k
1979 300D 234k (sold)
1984 300D "Astor" 262k(sold)
Mercedes How-To and Repair Pictorials
I love the smell of diesel smoke in my hair

I pulled and have the 84.....just trying to figure out a way to check it out before installation. Another yard has a 85, but.............the buts to long...I can;t get there for a week

Don

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1980 300TD-T (82 Turbo and Trans) 159,000 Miles "Jackie-O"
1983 300SD 272,000 Miles "Aristotle"
1987 Jeep Wagoneer Limited - keeps the MB's off the ice and out of the snow
1994 BMW 530it

Take both, if one dies swap the other in. Both of those trans are probably original and at this stage of the game on borrowed time as well.

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1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

You might want to get a set of clutches and a seal kit for it and do it while its out, thats what I would do anyways.

Practice disassembling and reassembling your dead trans first if youre unsure about doing it yourself.

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1980 500SE/AMG Euro
1981 500SEL Euro
1982 380SEL
1983 300TD
1983 500SEC/AMG Euro
1984 500SEC
1984 300TD Euro
1986 190E 2.3-16
1986 190E 2.3
1987 300D
1997 C36 AMG
2003 C320T 4matic

past: 1969 280SE 4.5 | 1978 240D | 1978 300D | 1981 300SD | 1981 300SD | 1982 300CD | 1983 300CD | 1983 300SD | 1983 380SEC | 1984 300D | 1984 300D | 1984 300TD | 1984 500SEL | 1984 300SD | 1985 300D | 1986 300E | 1986 560SEL | 1986 560SEL/Carat | 1987 560SEC | 1991 300D 2.5 | 2006 R350

I was planning on rebuilding or practicing on my dead one....but I need to have my car functional so I can only hope it will run with the trans I just got.

If I find that I get comfortable with the rebuilding process.....then I will either rebuild my current dead one or buy another used one and rebuild that.

Don

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1980 300TD-T (82 Turbo and Trans) 159,000 Miles "Jackie-O"
1983 300SD 272,000 Miles "Aristotle"
1987 Jeep Wagoneer Limited - keeps the MB's off the ice and out of the snow
1994 BMW 530it

The front pump seal and the rear tail shaft seal ought to be replaced. You also replace the B2 piston while you have it on a bench AND there is a K "something or other" spring which helps the 3-4 shift (I think, someone chime in if I missed something). At the very least you ought to replace the front pump seal, you can't replace it with the trans in the car.


OR you can just pull it again.....for practice

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84 300DT Puke Yellow. Totalled after 438,000
84 300DT Orient Red. 169,000 (actual mileage may vary)
2002 Explorer EB (wife's)

Eric has a good point about the front pump seal . Mine is leaking like a b@st@rd on the 300D and I'll be d@mned if I'm going to pull it for that. Unless it gets to be a quart per hundred miles or so. But do yourself a favor and use a new front seal. And you probably can tell by looking at it or at the tunnel around the donor car if the rear seal is leaking badly.

While it is on the bench, I personally would turn it over and take the valve body out. You can probably clean some dirt and clutch material out of the cavity and take a visual of the bands to see if you have any that are real bad. On the 4-bolt tranny 1.5 mm is about nominal thickness for the bands- I don't know about the 6-bolts.

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80 300SD (129k mi) 82 240D stick (193k mi)77 240D auto - stick to be (153k mi) 85 380SL (145k mi) 89 BMW 535i 82 Diesel Rabbit Pickup (374k mi) 91 Jetta IDI Diesel (155k mi) 81 VW Rabbit Convertible Diesel 70 Triumph Spitfire Mk III (63kmi)66 Triumph TR4a IRS (90k mi)67 Ford F-100 (??)

I would not hesitate to try locating the last owner. He has nothing to loose by telling you the truth about the transmission. Just out of the car there is little you can really probably establish. At least the car was at the wreckers because of the rear hit. The wrecker may have a line on the guy. Or sometimes the previous owner information is left in the glove compartment. Just some thoughts.

My plan....

First I have faith that I selected the right transmission and therefore am going to treat it that way. Gonna clean it up and make it shine like new. Rinse out the converter. try my best to get all the old fluid out of the trans and then install it with the mindset that like it was just shipped from MB.

Alot of time spent pulling it was do to crud and gunk and rust or frozen bolts. None of which will be the case in putting it back in.

Next week will tell all...right now I am so beat up and sore pressing the remote hurts.

Don

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1980 300TD-T (82 Turbo and Trans) 159,000 Miles "Jackie-O"
1983 300SD 272,000 Miles "Aristotle"
1987 Jeep Wagoneer Limited - keeps the MB's off the ice and out of the snow
1994 BMW 530it